Tag Archives: 10-20-2010

The West Manatee Fire District commissioners at a special meeting Oct. 11 discussed the first draft of a strategic plan as presented in first reading of a pension ordinance.

In the WMFR’s stop/restart pension plan provides money to WMFR from the state through insurance premiums to help fund firefighters’ retirements. But WMFR Chief Andy Price said the district hasn’t been able to use all the money that comes into the WMFR for its retirement plan.

Under an amendment to that ordinance, however, WMFR will be able to count all the money coming in toward its retirement, so firefighters will not have to contribute as much to their pension, Price said.

“Plus it reduces costs for the district,” Price said.

The WMFR will have another workshop to discuss its strategic plan at 5 p.m., Tuesday Oct. 21, at WMFR district station No. 1, 6001 Marina Drive, Holmes Beach.

That will be followed by a 6 p.m. regular meeting in which commissioners will have a second reading of the pension ordinance.

Four-tide days rev-up fall fishing

Bait is getting thicker off the beaches as water temperatures dip, and that could mean kingfish will be swarming through the area. But there needs to be another cold front — or two — to trigger a healthy kingfish run.

Four-tide days this week will make one of the best fishing times of the year even better.

Kimberly Shearer from Annie’s Bait and Tackle said she’s received reports of two cobias of 46 and 34 inches caught on a 3-mile reef. Also, she said customers reported a limit catch of trout from 16-19 inches in front of Paradise Bay Trailer Park. “They were using Storm Rattlin’ Top Water Chub Bugs and catching them early in the morning on an outgoing tide,” Shearer said. “There was also a nice size Cobia caught near Jewfish Key.”

Capt. Mark Johnston of Legend Charters is catching Spanish mackerel up to 3 1/2 pounds, large barracuda and black-tip sharks on an outgoing tide. He was using live shiners.

Capt. Warren Girle reported plenty of trout, scattered redfish, ladyfish and Spanish mackerel. But the big surprise, he said, has been a thick run of flounder. On the nearshore trips, he reported catches of 12 and 14 doormats. He said on one of his offshore trips he went out 24 miles for more than 100 grouper, but only four keepers. He said the biggest grouper was 27 inches.

All but two of the grouper were reds. There also are a lot of kingfish over a swiss-cheese bottom (sand and rock with holes). “If we get another one or two cold fronts like last week, everything will turn on and before you know it the snowbirds will be here,” Girle said.

Capt. Mark Howard of SumoTime Fishing Charters said the fall fishing patterns are in full swing with a multitude of species. Speckled trout have been feeding heavily all over the Tampa Bay waters, he said. This past week has produced some excellent limit catches (4 per person) on some quality-sized fish. “Keeper fish have averaged 18 inches, with some 20-inch snaggle tooths coming to dinner,” he said. “The biggest speckled trout landed on my charters measured 25 inches and hit on a live frisky shiner.”

He said nearshore the bite has been excellent with the keys to success being finding the bait schools under the diving birds. He said to look for these two important elements and you will find mackerel, bonito, shark, cobia and kingfish.

“Speaking of kingfish, they have made a strong showing off our coast approximately 3 miles offshore and farther out,” he said. “Slow trolling a nice big bait rigged with small-diameter wire will improve your chances of catching these exciting and toothy predators.”

He reported redfish are roaming all around the Tampa Bay area. Look for the redfish in potholes on an outgoing tide and then watch them drop in the hole for some heavy action. Chum with shiners to get the redfish excited and into a feeding frenzy. Also, he said tarpon are in their fall pattern. The silver kings have been feeding heavily on shiners off the beach with two hookups during a recent beach fishing trip.

“All around Tampa Bay there are schools of tarpon staging for their migration to their winter quarters,” he said.

Capt. Mike Greig said he’s caught some redfish to 12 pounds, plenty of trout, Spanish mackerel, sharks off the beaches. He said on Oct. 13 he caught a lot of reds, but only a few the next day.

“You get on them one day and then next day you don’t catch as many. Usually on the new and full moon they school up,” he said. Also, he said the kingfish aren’t as thick as they could be. “And they may never get too thick,” Greig said. “They’re either offshore or south of us.”

Kyle Dodrill from the Sunshine Skyway south fishing pier said there’s been pompano, big Spanish mackerel and kingfish during the mornings off pier ends. He said the grouper bite is picking up, and there are still some tarpon, but the silver kings are starting to leave. Finally, he said there also are some big redfish and jack crevalle running through.

Brett Lance from the Rod & Reel Pier said anglers there have caught Spanish mackerel, black drum, and occasional snapper.

Dave Sork from the Anna Maria City Pier said a good supply of bait has brought Spanish mackerel, blue runners and jack crevalle to the planks.

AMICC soccer standings remain tight

The battle for first place is going to go down to the wire in all divisions of the Anna Maria Island Community Center Soccer League except Division III, where undefeated Fran Maxon Real Estate holds an eight-point lead and is the only team with a winning record.

Connie’s Landscaping and Jessie’s Island Store played Oct. 13 with the winner escaping last place and moving a step closer to a winning record.

Early on, it appeared that Jessie’s was going to earn its second win on the season as they forged a 2-0 first-half lead. Hannah McCracken got Jessie’s on the scoreboard in the 10th minute when she pounced on a rebound and knocked it into the goal for a 1-0 lead.

Five minutes later, William Bernet dribbled around and through the Connie’s defense to give Jessie’s a 2-0 lead that they took into the half.

Connie’s came out in the second half determined to get back into the game and it didn’t take long. Jaclyn Schlossberg found some space up the left side of the Jessie’s defense where she passed inside to Clayton Wilkinson, who knocked the pass into the back of the net to halve the score.

Jessie’s brought the ball right back at Connie’s defense and almost scored when McCracken fired a shot from the penalty spot, but Corbin Greg made a nice save.

Schlossberg again found some space and came in for an up-close shot, but Daniel Sentman made the save to deny Schlossberg and keep the score at 2-1.

With time winding down, Adra Dupuis passed the ball ahead to Schlossberg, who fired a shot that snuck inside the far post to tie the score.

McCracken gave the Jessie’s faithful fans hope when she got loose up the middle, but Greg came through with a kick to preserve the 2-2 tie.

In other soccer action last week, Sparks Steel Art showed why they’re the team to beat when they edged second place Southern Greens 4-3 Oct. 13 and extended the Spark to a 4-point lead in the standings.

Dylan Joseph led the way with a pair of goals, including a header off a corner kick from Tyler Yavalar that opened the scoring in the game. Brooke Capparelli and Yavalar also notched a goal for Sparks in the victory.

Ethan Bertrand scored a pair of goals and Aiden Grumley scored one goal to lead Southern Greens in the loss.

Mr. Bones and Wash Family Construction battled to a 3-3 in Division II action Oct. 11. Gavin Sentman, Brianna Conelly and Nico Calleja scored one goal apiece to lead WFC. Leo Rose scored a pair of goals to lead Bones, 2hick also received one goal from Jake Miller.

Autoway Ford earned an important victory in Division I when they edged Mike Norman Realty Oct. 13 to move into first place. Francesca Parkin led the way with two goals, while Henrik Brusso, Neil Carper and Sydney Cornell each scored one goal in the victory.

Morgan Greig led Norman with two goals, while Michael Duffman and Lauren Sapienza each scored one goal in the loss.

Mike Norman Realty rolled past the Gathering Place 7-1 Oct. 11 behind four goals from Michael Duffman. Lauren Sapienza accounted for the rest of the scoring with a hat trick. Jake Parsons notched the lone goal for The Gathering Place in the loss.

The battle for first place in the Premier Division is still close with only one victory separating first place from last place. Wash Family Construction stayed a game ahead of West Coast Surf Shop with a 7-6 win Oct. 12. Daniel Pimental led the way with three goals, while Elijah Clay-Chapman and Austin Wash each notched a pair of goals in the victory.

JT Goode and Chandler Hardy led West Coast Surf Shop with three goals apiece in the loss.

Beach Bistro held onto first place thanks to a 6-3 win over Wash Family Construction Oct. 11. Phillip Biddulph scored three goals to lead the Bistro, which also received two goals from Julius Gomes and one goal from Hunter Parrish in the win.

Austin Wash had a hat trick to lead WFC in the loss.

The Fish Hole remained in second place in the adult division thanks to a 2-1 win over Back Alley during adult soccer action Oct. 14. Ryan Moss and Brent Moss each scored one goal to lead the Fish Hole, while Zach Gilliland notched the lone goal for Back Alley in the loss.

The Sun remained undefeated with a 6-4 win over Ross Built behind four goals from Damir Glavan. Ryan Hogan and Zoran Kolega each added one goal in the victory.

Teddy Louloudes had a hat trick to lead Ross Built, which also received one goal from Rich Bell in the loss.

Beach to Bay Construction crushed Sarasota Veterinary Emergency Hospital 6-1 for its first win of the season behind three goals from Enrico Beissert. Josh Bernet, Charles Colson and Scott

Eason each notched single goals to complete the scoring in the victory. Toby Wickland scored the lone goal for SVEH in the loss.

Horseshoe news

Four teams managed 2-1 pool play records during Oct. 16 horseshoe action at the Anna Maria City Hall pits. Hank Huyghe and Sam Samuels defeated Debbie Rhodes and Jay Disbrow 21-16 in the first semifinal, while Al Foigue and Jeff Moore rolled past Tom Skoloda and Steve Grossman 22-12 in the other. The finals saw Samuels-Huyghe cruise to a 21-14 victory over Foigue-Moore.

Three teams qualified for the playoffs Oct. 13. Ron Pepka and Skolada trounced Steve Doyle 21-7 to advance to the finals. Pepka-Skoloda then rolled past Norm Good and Tim Sofran 23-12 in the finals.

Play gets under way at 9 a.m. every Wednesday and Saturday at the Anna Maria City Hall pits. Warmups begin at 8:45 a.m. followed by random team selection. There is no charge to play and everyone is welcome.

Key Royale Club news

The Key Royale Club men played an 18-hole, better-ball-of-partner game Oct. 13. The team of Ron Robinson and Dennis Schavey combined to card a 13-under-par 51 to take first place for the day. Second place went to Jim Thorthon and Danny Hayes with a 8-under 56, while Carl Voyles and Bob Jorgensen were one shot back in third place.

The women of the Key Royale Club played a nine-hole, individual-low-net game Oct. 12. Judy Crowe fired a 3-under-par 29 to win Flight A by two shots over Pam Alvord. Sue Wheeler torched the course with a 6-under-par 26 to win Flight B by two shots over Meredith Slavin. Markie Sue Wheeler, Markie Ksiazck and Luanne Collins all had chipins on the day.

The men played a two-best-balls-of-foursome match Oct. 11. The team of Ron Robinson, Dennis Schavey, Matt Behan and Danny Hayes took first with a 46. Second place went to Vince Mercadante, Carl Voyles and Lance Linderman with a 55.

3212 Gulf Drive, Holmes Beach, a 1,722 sfla / 2,072 sfur 2bed/2bath Gulffront home built in 1979 on a 102×103 lot was sold 09/30/10, Edwards to Frank for $1,300,000; list $1,429,000.

721 N. Shore Drive, Anna Maria, a 2,612 sfla / 3,523 sfur 4bed/3bath/2car Gulffront home built in 1967 on a 60×92 lot was sold 09/15/10, Stevens to AJN North Shore of Florida LLC for $1,100,000; list $1,495,000.

3009 Ave. F, Holmes Beach, a 1,500 sfla 4bed/2bath Gulffront duplex built in 1971 on a 50×100 lot was sold 09/15/10, Boyd to Hanson for $763,500; list $799,000.

Jesse Brisson, broker/associate at Gulf-Bay Realty of Anna Maria, can be reached at Gulf-Bay 941-778-7244.Current Island real estate transactions may also be viewed online at www.islander.org. Copyright 2010

Oct. 7, 113 Hammock Ave., grand theft. A man reported jewelry left on a table valued at more than $10,000 stolen from his rental unit overnight.

Oct. 9, 807 Jacaranda Road, animal nuisance. A woman reported that barking dogs at the neighbor’s residence disturbed her quality of life. The Manatee County Sheriff’s Office deputy reported two small dogs barked intermittently while on scene, but they quieted down after a few moments. The owners did not appear to be home and, the deputy reported, “Unfortunately, movement seemed to alarm the animals.”

Oct. 8, 243 Gladiolus St., bicycle theft.

Bradenton Beach

Oct. 9, 116 Bridge St., abandoned. A man at the Sports Lounge bar continuously called 911 until he was placed under arrest and transported to the Bradenton Beach Police Department and then to the Manatee County jail.

Holmes Beach

Oct. 8, Manatee Avenue bridge, accident. A Holmes Beach Police Department officer saw someone had driven over the curb on the Anna Maria Island Bridge. The HBPD and West Manatee Fire Rescue got the car off the bridge and backed it down to the base of the bridge.

Oct. 9, 3700 block of Gulf Drive, alcohol. An HBPD officer was patrolling the beach and saw two men drinking alcohol.

Oct. 12, 5000 block of Marina Drive, fraud. A woman came to the HBPD to report a possible fraud case. The woman said her Visa card was used at Jessie’s Island Store-BP gas station. The women said she has never lost the card, but she canceled it anyway.

Oct. 12, 3200 block of East Bay Drive, theft. A man approached an HBPD officer in front of China 1 restaurant saying someone stole his sister’s iPod valued at $400 from a table at the restaurant.

Oct. 13, 600 block of Foxworth Lane, burglary. Homeowners returned to their residence to find items missing and a safe had been tampered with.

Oct. 13, 200 block of 77th Street, civil dispute. An officer spoke to the complainant who said the renter in the upstairs unit had been turning off the power to his unit. Code enforcement was consulted.

Oct. 14, 200 block of 77th Street, continued civil dispute. A man came home to find someone had removed light bulbs and his A/C unit was unplugged. He said his television and silverware also were missing.

Oct. 14, 63rd Street boat ramp, boat fire. An officer responded to a report of a boat fire. Upon arrival, the officer saw the boat was on fire and assisted in crowd control while firefighters completed their work.

Robert L. Baldwin
Robert L. Baldwin, 85, of Bradenton Beach, died Oct. 10. He was born on Sept. 30, 1925, in Manawa, Wis.

Mr. Baldwin served in the U.S. Army Air Force as a nose gunner. He flew on a B-24 for 18 missions during World War II. On April 22, 1950, he married Claire Ostertag of New Jersey. He worked

for Oscar J. Boldt Construction for 25 years, then retired to Florida. He loved the Packers, fishing, hunting and his family.

A memorial service was held Oct. 16 at the American Legion Kirby Stewart Post in Bradenton.

He is survived by his wife of 60 years, Claire; children Susan Ritchie of Bradenton Beach, Carol Baldwin and husband Tony Roman of Tennessee, Robert Jr. and wife Donna of Indiana, Dorothy and Steve Van Dinter of Wisconsin; nine grandchildren; five great-grandchildren, sisters Muriel Blink of Wisconsin, Marian Kroll of Wisconsin, Ruthie Ross of Wisconsin and Faye Emnott of Wisconsin; nieces; nephews; and other family members.

Ralph M. Fulford
Ralph M. Fulford, 82, of Cortez, died Oct. 12.

Mr. Fulford was born April 4, 1928, in Cortez and lived most of his life there. He was a lifelong resident of Manatee County.

He was the son of Walton and Edith Wilson Fulford and grandson of Captain Billy and Sally Adams Fulford, who were among the original settlers of Cortez 120 years ago.

He was owner/operator of Fulford Fish Co., owner of Fulford Palms, a member of the Organized Fishermen of Florida, a charter member of the Cortez Volunteer Fire Department and a former Anna Maria Island Fire District commissioner. He was a charter member and former president of the Cortez Village Historical Society, member and former elder of the Cortez Church of Christ.

Mr. Fulford is survived by his wife of 64 years, Lois (Guthrie) of Bradenton; son Ralph W. “Rusty” and wife Pat Fulford of Scottsville, Va.; daughters Hazel and husband Steve Petree of Cortez and Sylvia and husband Tony Bailey of Bradenton; six grandchildren, Robert Wayne and wife Jessica Fulford, Christal Fulford of Scottsville, Va., Jordan and Ivan Petree of Cortez, Troy and wife Joanna Bailey of Bradenton and Jenee and husband Jason Carrigan of Kissimmee; and seven great-grandchildren. He also is survived by four sisters, Mary Green of Cortez, Belinda Porterfield of Montgomery, Ala., Irene Taylor of Mt. Arie, N.C., Anna Dean Riddick of Mt. Arie, N.C.; and two brothers, Wayne Fulford and Gary Fulford, both of Bradenton.